Saturday, June 23, 2007

No Sheep Swap Package

Have I mentioned yet that I love receiving presents? I do also like giving things and matching a present to them...but nothing beats going to the post office and seeing a yellow slip. A yellow slip means there is something bigger behind the counter. OH OH OH what could it be? In the short walk from our box to the counter your mind races, oh could it be what I ordered for myself, or ordered for someone else....but NO it is something even better, a surprise gift for me. I participated in the No Sheep Secret Pal Swap, where you pick two skeins and mail one out to your downstream pal in June then again in July. With my allergies I do not have to worry about receiving something that I'm allergic to, so I was all game for this swap.

So, without further ado...

Two words: Schaefer Yarns! This one is named Sandra. It is such a pretty combination of colors, my blues/greens are covered with a very fitting brown/black. It is definitely a yarn that I would have picked out myself. I can't wait to find a pattern to use this up! I love it!

Also - the little bags are different types of yarn, clearly labeled with name and kind for future yarn purchases. I mentioned to my DH when I found these in the box that is was a wonderful idea! I wished I had thought of it.

The card you see is from the state of Washington, with a note from the sender (aka "-me") who says she has been to Mt. Rainer. The photo was taken by Lee Mann. This one is going in a frame...(to my secret pal - I frame cards that I really like and have them throughout the house).

Also I received some Washington State honey! Yumm...this is going to be going in the next loaf of bread I make.

Finally, I know she sent so much, where handmade stitch markers. They go with the yarn and my OCD/anal retentive side loves them - as they match the yarn!

WAY TO GO secret pal! This was a great package to start my weekend!!!

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

The Shawl (10 days in)



Not bad?! The pattern is really starting to take shape and I like it! You'll have to go back a few posts (June 13) to see the prior picture for comparison.

Any bets on when I'm going to finish this one?

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Kudos to those of you on Weight Watchers

...but I'm finding it isn't for me. I could use to lose a few pounds, but I just really need to 'tone' what I have. How is that for an excuse? I mean I really need to stop my snacking but I don't think WW is for me.

Here is what has been happening since Wednesday:

My entire work team (okay just the ones that sit the closest to me) is on WW. My manager, two coworkers and 2 who technically work under me. They started the whole point thing. Well someone got the great idea to see how many points I eat in a given day. It went something like this: 10 points for all the crackers you eat during your morning, 2 points for every glass of kool-aid, my lunch was practically 10 points and well let us just say my afternoon snacks were double that. Well over the double the points I should have had during the course of one day.

So, the next day I try again, I stuck with only 10 crackers (2 points), kool-aid (4 points). Then, for lunch I looked up the points on chicken tenders and 6 bite size ones were 5 points. So, I thought going to Arby's with a friend and just having 3 chicken tenders I was good at the 5 points. I get back to the office and I was informed by another book (the fast food one) that it was 10....WHAT?!?! I had a water and was still starving. I skipped the afternoon candy bar (for fear of being pounced on) and made it til about 6:30 when I had to have two Oreo cookies. I then ate the chicken marsala, potato that the DH made for supper. I figured by then I was already well over my 17 points alloted for the day...I then had about 7 peppermints.

I mean I was already over my points by then, what the heck. Right?! The next day was a little easier, but not by much.

This leads to the weekend...DH is thinking this is a good idea for him to lose a little weight. Well, I get 17 points, guess, just guess how many he gets!? 34!!! That is like double!!

I went grocery shopping and got tons of fruit...and buying the ingredients for some of the recipes. By 3 PM yesterday DH still had 15 points to use, me, well let us just say I was over by 5.

So, this morning with our refrigerator stocked I offer to make up the 5 point smoothie. We add the ingredients, and try it, not bad. In fact I was willing to have half a glass. Now, this was about Noon, so I ask where is lunch. He replies this is lunch. I'm like nooooo, I want some food. He replies this is yogurt, fruit, wheat germ etc. in it and it is a meal all itself.

Bottom line...I don't think this for me. I proceed to have a waffle and yes with syrup on it! (it was a low-fat whole wheat waffle, does that count for something?!)

Best wishes to all you out there on WW. I can now understand how hard it is. Major kudos to those of you that stick with it and get to your goal! :-)

There will be knitting on the next post. Stay tuned.

Saturday, June 16, 2007

What Kind of Finger Are You?

You Are a Pinky

You are fiercely independent, and possibly downright weird.
A great communicator, you can get along with almost anyone.
You are kind and sympathetic. You support all your friends - and love them for who they are.

You get along well with: The Ring Finger

Stay away from: The Thumb

http://www.blogthings.com/whatfingerareyouquiz/

*I am not sure about the weird part! LOL

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

The shawl knitting has begun


Well actually the knitting was started this weekend. It just took this long to get the photo [and an awful one at that] out of the camera. This is after 4 rows.
This is going to be a long process. I'm trying to get through 4 rows a night, but with working so many long days lately it is going to be a challenge. I may have to up my 4 rows on Saturday to 20...just to catch up!
I'm working on my No Sheep Swap box to get it ready for mailing. I'm going off a theme, between the colors of what I'm sending. So, it should be interesting. I have one more store to hit this weekend and hopefully that will be it. I'll post photos and actual description when it is all together.
I did sign up for Knitting Daily. Have you? Sandi just closed a Sock Survey. I thought her results were interesting:
According to the Sock Survey, your perfect sock pattern would be:
Worked from the cuff down (70% of the votes);
For a woman (46%);
Designed in a textured (but not cabled) stitch pattern (22%);
Worked on 5 dpns (37%); and
Suitable for a variegated or handpainted yarn (36%).
[taken from Knitting Daily email from 6/13/07, see what you are missing?]

Monday, June 11, 2007

The rest of the mail...


Well now that Ms. Dottie has had the top of the blog for a couple of days now, I can show you what else came in the mail on Saturday.


I received the longer needles I needed to start my shawl. I thought I had ordered bamboo, but I messed up...one of those things where the cart you saved wasn't the cart you ended up cashing out with. My mistake, I get it.


So, I have size 4, 4.5 and 5 aluminum needles. It became quite clear to me once I started knitting my gauge square that knitting Sea Silk with these was going to be a challenge. Can you say slippery?


I'm taking it slow. Yes, I have dropped a number of stitches, almost each row. However, I've been able to recognize it right away and able to get them back no problem, just the frustration factor.


The DH was gone for quite a bit on Sunday, so I was able to get 12 rows done. Not bad. I'm not happy with the way the photos came out, so you'll just have to come back to see them.

Saturday, June 9, 2007

Ms. Dottie Comes Home

Yahoo! I had an appointment this morning and thought I may miss the going to get the mail at the post office, during the few hours they are open on a Saturday. However, the DH comes to the rescue once again.

I come home to a package sitting on a small rocker chair that my Grandpa made me. My DH informed him that he checked the package to make sure Ms. Dottie was sitting upright! He is one great guy!

Isn't she the cutiest?

If you are lucky enough you can catch Julie and her wonderful creations here: http://www.littlecottonrabbits.typepad.co.uk/


I think Ms. Dottie deserves a post all to herself, so more later on what else arrived in the mail.

Friday, June 8, 2007

The Posse

Well, our neighbors have a pair of pink flamingos. Yes, they are the plastic kind. However we haven't helped their love of flamingos much...it seeems whenever we go over vacation we bring them back something with a flamingo on it for them....let us see, there was the year that we bought them a flamingo ornament for the tree, the wire flamingo sculpture from Key West, the flamingo dog leash...etc.

However, it is always tasteful. Well this year, as you know, they are moving away. :-(

Recently, the flamingos have appeared in my butterfly bush garden area while we were away. Our neighbor said they were keeping an eye on the house for us.

Our neighbors then went away and well I got creative...I made each of them a bandana out of scraps of fabric. We called them 'The Bandana Posse'
You get the picture....it is a back and forth game now.

Well, today we get home from work to this...(I think the picture says it all [fyi our neighbor had borrowed our lawn mover]) he named it the "The Bandana Posse' Ode to JD" (John Deere)

I'm really going to miss them when they leave.

Wednesday, June 6, 2007

Dear Mailperson,

Could you please hurry up and deliver my bamboo single point needles this week? Please?!

Well, I wound up the ball of sea silk (see previous post) and gathered the ball, the pattern from the magazine, my index cards with each line of the pattern on them, my single point needles and sat in my 'knitting chair'. All set to go. I had everything I needed... well not so fast... in checking my gauge my current set of needles didn't work.
The 6mm needles I was using was making the yarn over holes in the pattern a bit too big for what I would like.

So, off to skipping another lunch to pay for and order new needles. Now, I'm patiently (yeah right) waiting for them.

Here is an updated photo on my little maple tree...

Sunday, June 3, 2007

Seaweed?

What a week this was. There was way too much working and not enough time for crafts.

I was able to spend just a little money this week and order some Handmaiden Sea Silk. I've been wanting to try it out since I'd learned about it from the No Sheep KAL.


So...guess what came in the mail on Saturday? Yes, Handmaiden Sea Silk in the color Ocean. It is beautiful and this pictures does not do it justice! I purchased it from the Knitting Hutch. I was leary at first, having never heard of this website, but she came through and it was packaged very well.


Then, the DH and I spent the next hour working it into a ball. Yes, you guessed it...I do not own a ball winder. Let us just say it was a very long hour! Thankfully, now it is in a ball.


I also purchased something else, but that is currently a secret.

In following Amy Singer, I found out that she had a scarf in the latest edition of Interweave Knits made with the very Sea Silk I-had-to-have. I fell in love with the photo on the website, so I skipped lunch one day and went to the local book store and bought it.

So, now that I finally have some time this weekend I'm working on a 'trial' of the pattern to create myself a shawl. Yes, I'm making myself a shawl. :-) I figure I can handle scarves, knit the first pair of socks...so I should be able to handle this. I want a simple shawl..something more of a rectangle shape that I will use for those nights we are on the screened in deck area during these breezy/cool summer nights.
Now, the goal is to complete this while we still have those breezy/cool summer nights!

I'll leave you with this morning's photo of my front flowers.